leaving neverland

the weekend after july 24th we had some special visitors (who i never got a

picture of!)...the bates!  they made a special stop in ogden during a layover on

their way to beginning a european adventure, so we had a little reunion bbq.

it wouldn't have been a reunion without our favorite bishopric and their wives.

we caught up with our buddies from the old ward as all the kiddos played.

i realize every time that we do something like this how much i love the friends

we made in that ward.  and even though i don't miss living in the francis's basement,

i do miss seeing and talking to this girl so often. 

heather is amazing - a great mom and friend, and a fabulous example.

the group shot isn't that stellar, but at least we got one.

we missed the ones who couldn't come, but that made me realize something, too...

as important as friends are, and these ones really do have a special place in our hearts,

its the friendship that i have with this guy that is the most important.

the experience we had in that ward was such a special one, but its been interesting to

see where we've all gone from there.  i feel pretty lucky to know that wherever we go

we'll always be together.

stranded at the drive-in

the motor-vu was our go-to summer weekend activity of

choice this year.

richard had no trouble making new friends.

he attracted this guy from a few cars over while playing guitar as we waited

for the new batman to begin.

i made myself comfortable, cozying up with a good horror novel to pass the time.

and our temporary basement dweller, austin, and his pals shot the breeze.

nothing better than snuggling with my main squeeze in the great

riverdale outdoors while batman saves the day.

we went to the drive-in a lot this summer!  and we've decided that we

like it best when the weather is a bit questionable because a) we've got

a roof, b) there's not much of a crowd to fight, and c) positive cuddling

conditions are amplified.

happy anni, baby

this is what 6 years of marriage will do to you...

it turns you both into bain (the villain from batman).

we celebrated our 6th anniversary by eating dinner at the union grill.  and since it

was theater thursday, we headed to the good ol' cinepointe 6 to watch "people like us,"

which was a hit.  elizabeth banks is one of our new faves.

here's to the rest of eternity, baby.

what happens in vegas

thank the lord above that what happens in vegas stays there, because my

most recent trip wasn't something i wanted to bring home with me...well,

most of it anyway.

which is something i never would have dreamed after it started with a sighting

of the oscar mayer weinermobile.  i naively dove head-first into the road trip

thinking that this was a sign from the vacation gods that it would be one for the

books, but for all the wrong reasons.

my bologna has a first name, its "why in the world did we think a pregnant twenty-something, a

menopausal fifty-something, two pre-menopausal women, and two teenagers together in a

rental car for 14 hours, and stuck with each other for a weekend would be a good idea?!"

scattered throughout the tension, eye-rolling, and under-the-breath criticisms

there was actually some fun that was had.

here i am with chelsa and becca (they're kind of a big deal) at serendipity on

the strip.  for the record, this place is a joke compared to the nyc location.

here are the beloved matriarchs of the group:

aunt dayna, her friend kim, and jan jan

the fact that these legit smiles look strained is only exhibit a.

exhibit b: me pretty much wolfing the entire frrrozen hot chocolate having

nothing to do with the fact that i'm growing a baby.

three things i would like to remember from this pic:

1. celine in the background.  the reason we went to sin city.

2. the rediculous 6-inch heels chelsa wore to walk around town.

3. my take-the-damn-picture-already smile.

upon approaching the ticket line, my spirits were improving.

and once inside the colloseum built for celine, there was actual joy being experienced.

notice the teary-eyed smile on my face.  the closer we got to show-time, the more

real those tears became, and the second the lights went out and the video montage

began it was like freaking niagara falls.  i sobbed approximately 90% of the show for

reasons which include, but are not limited to:

1. the moment i'd been waiting for had finally arrived, giving this joke of a vacation a highlight.

2. i really do love celine that much, and i knew she wouldn't disappoint.

3. she was singing to me and my baby.

here we all are, united in our love for celine.

the one thing (besides the hormones) that we all had in common.

favorite parts of the show:

cover of adele's "rolling in the deep"

the stevie wonder hologram

celine singing (and cracking jokes) with her own hologram

watching becca being so excited (and not get caught w/ her camera)

other highlights of the trip:

chelsa realizing that the heels were probably not the best choice.

hours of law & order, and laying by the pool.

knowing that in case any of us made the full transition, the rest of us could

save ourselves at this zombie apocolypse store

dinner at cheesecake factory in caesar's palace.

mom making the executive decision that we didn't have to walk all the way to the m&m factory.

coming home.

man, do i love my family.  i really, truly do.

it feels good to have this fiasco far enough behind us that we can joke

about what a joke it all was.  let's never go to vegas together again.